joy

  • Joy That Stays

    Something has always struck me about the way Jesus spoke on the night before His death. If you’ve ever sat beside someone who knew time was short, you know how those conversations feel. No one wastes words on the weather. You don’t circle trivial things. There’s a weight to the moment—a careful choosing of what…

  • The Quiet Work of Choosing Joy

    So many of us are chasing joy the way we chase a bus that’s already pulling away—breathless, anxious, convinced we’re about to miss it. We tell ourselves we’ll rejoice after the problem is solved, after the fear passes, after tomorrow behaves better than today. But joy, it turns out, doesn’t live in the future we…

  • Following the Star: A Costly Search and a Joyful Kneeling

    Read Matthew 2:1-12 There are journeys that are chosen for convenience, and there are journeys that are chosen because the soul cannot remain where it is. The road to Bethlehem belongs to the second kind. Matthew’s quiet account of the wise men isn’t merely a Christmas vignette; it’s a testimony that when heaven speaks, those…

  • Joy in the Journey

    Scripture Focus: 1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Rejoice evermore.” Joy is often postponed. We treat it like a reward—something reserved for when responsibilities are finished, problems are solved, or circumstances finally improve. Yet Paul offers no conditions, no footnotes, no waiting period. He simply says, “Rejoice evermore.” In just two words, Scripture gently corrects our tendency to…

  • Trusting God Through Life’s Storms

    Scripture Focus:James 1:2–3 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” We love the idea of “dancing in the rain,” but real storms are rarely that graceful. They soak your socks, rearrange your plans, unsettle your sleep, and sometimes leave you…

  • The Way Joy Finds Its Way Home

    Sometimeskindness feels small—a cup of water passed,a door held open,a quiet listeningwhen your own thoughtsare loud. But somewherein the unseen places,your offering slipsinto another heartlike a seed tuckedinto soft earth—hidden, unspectacular,yet already waking. And joy—that patient traveler—circles back in waysyou don’t expect.In lighter breaths,in steadier steps,in the hush that settlesover your soulwhen you realizeyou’ve spent…

  • Strength for Weak Hands, Hope for Fearful Hearts

    A Walk Through Isaiah 35:3–4 When I read Isaiah 35, it feels like stepping into a promise so bright it almost hurts your eyes. Deserts blossom, the parched ground sings, the ransomed of the Lord come home “with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads” (Isaiah 35:10). It’s a chapter soaked in hope—especially for people…